The Cowl Remembers: Lenny Wilkens

by Sarah Wolff ’28 on November 20, 2025

Sports

For 90 years, The Cowl has followed Providence College’s achievements, heartbreaks, and defining moments. Few people have shaped our school’s athletic history as deeply as Lenny Wilkens ’60, and his recent passing has left the community grieving as well as reflecting on his profound greatness. As we celebrate our newspaper’s anniversary, it felt only right that we honor one of the greatest Friars to ever walk our campus. Wilkens was a man whose legacy extends past the sport, shaping future generations on and off the court.

Arriving on campus in the fall of 1956, Wilkens was not yet the Hall of Famer the world would soon know him to be. He was just a young man from the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. Yet, he had quick instincts and a work ethic that immediately set him apart. People who knew him when he was just a young man and those who knew him decades later use the same qualities to describe him—humility, poise, and unwavering competitiveness. Nothing about the way he acted or played demanded attention, but everything about him earned respect.

On the court, Wilkens was redefining what it meant to be a point guard. He wasn’t simply running an offense; he was conducting it. His athletic IQ was off the charts—he controlled tempo, dissected the defense effortlessly, and most importantly, prioritized his teammates. His brand of leadership was unmistakable, and his legacy is embedded in that. By the time he graduated, he was a two-time All-American and had led the team to their first NIT appearance in 1959 as well as the NITfinals in 1960. PC retired Wilken’s No. 14 jersey in 1996, the first Friar to have this honor, as he is a symbol of what the College could produce when talent is met with character.

His professional career more than fulfilled the promise that young Wilkens showed at PC. Drafted No. 6 overall in 1960, he began his NBA journey with the St. Louis Hawks, where he quickly became one of the league’s smartest point guards. During his time in St. Louis, he had multiple All-Star selections. In 1968, he moved to the Seattle SuperSonics, where he helped shape the team’s identity and the franchise’s eventual rise. From Seattle, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers, a young team that needed his stable presence to help reach their potential. He finished his playing career with the Portland Trail Blazers, taking on the impressive role of not only being a player, but a coach, too. His transition to coaching is proof of how widely respected his basketball knowledge had become.

Wilkens carried being a Friar with him everywhere. Not just as a line on his resume, but as a part of who he was. He spoke about PC with genuine love and credited the college for shaping not only his skills, but also his values. His passing feels immense because his life was immense, and he embodied the idea that true greatness requires both talent and character. Wilken’s legacy lives on each time a new Friar steps onto the court—we will miss him dearly.

Historical Providence College Athletes

by Izzy Mignardi ‘27 on November 20, 2025

Sports

For Those Who Haven’t Explored Alumni Hall

“Want to get Alumni?” your roommate asks you (probably several times a week).

You go, and you head straight to the part of Alumni Hall that he or she might be referring to—the cafeteria with a variety of food options, but most importantly, a Ben and Jerry’s fridge. Other days, the two of you head to the gym and rush straight past the rows of plaques on the wall to your left. Safe to say, most students don’t pay much attention to the namesake of the Hall: the alumni who are honored there.

In honor of The Cowl’s 90^th anniversary, here are nine of Providence College’s most notable athletic alumni:

Lenny Wilkens ’60 was a three-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, coach, and assistant coach. Wilkens led the Friars to their first NIT appearance and later to the NIT finals. During his time at PC, he averaged 14.9 ppg and 7.3 rpg, leading him to be named an All-American in his final year, 1960. He played 15 years in the NBA and coached for 32 years, including coaching the U.S. Olympic Team in 1996.

Emily Sisson ’15, a recent graduate, holds the record for fastest American female marathoner, completing the Chicago Marathon in 2022 with a time of 2:18:29. During her time at PC, she was a two-time NCAA champion of the 5000m race, setting the indoor record for women. She went on to break several records in the half marathon as well as the marathon and placed No. 23 in the women’s marathon at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Ernie DiGregorio ’73 holds the record for PC men’s basketball in assists and field goals. When he graduated, he reached All-American status and was named New England Player of the Year and Eastern Player of the Year. He was selected third overall by the Buffalo Braves in ’73 and went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

When Doris Sable Burke ’87 graduated, she left Providence as an all-time assist leader in women’s basketball. She made 87 consecutive starts beginning in 1984, when she made the Big East All-Rookie Team. She, too, was named an All-American in her final year at PC. She went on to become a TV basketball analyst for ESPN and ABC. Burke made history as the first female commentator to call a New York Knicks game. In 2023, ESPN assigned her to their No. 1 NBA commentary team.

Jimmy Walker ’67 left Providence as the men’s basketball all-time leading scorer with 2,045 career points. He was named Eastern Sophomore of the Year in ’65 and Eastern Player of the Year in ’67. He was selected first overall in the NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons and continued to play in the NBA for nine years.

Kim Smith ‘05 is a five-time All-American graduate of PC. She is a four-time NCAA champion and three-time Big East Champion. In 2004, she set two NCAA indoor records in the 5,000 meters and 3,000 meters, becoming the first PC athlete to secure two NCAA titles in one meet. She ran for New Zealand in the 2004, 2008, and 2010 Olympics.

Marvin Barnes ’74 was named New England Player of the Year for his role on the men’s basketball team when he graduated from PC. He was a two-time All-American during his junior and senior years and a three-time All-New England team member from his sophomore to senior year. In 1973, he helped the Friars to a Final Four appearance. He had a career average of 20.7 ppg and 17.9 rpg. Barnes was drafted by the Denver Rockets as a junior and by the Philadelphia 76ers as a senior. Even though he was officially undrafted during the ’74 ABA draft, he signed with the Spirits of St. Louis in ’74. He played in the ABA until it merged with the NBA in 1976, where he played until 1980.

Sara DeCosta ’00 is a female hockey player who graduated from PC. She graduated as PC’s all-time saves leader with 2,324 saves. DeCosta earned the title of PC Female Athlete of the Year in 1998 and 1999 and was named an All-American in 1999 and 2000. She played for the U.S. Olympic Team in ’98, where she won a gold medal. In 2000 and 2002, DeCosta was awarded USA Hockey Player of the Year.

John Treacy ’77 placed third in the Boston Marathon in 1988, ten years after graduating from PC. At Providence, he was a five-time All-American. Treacy was the New England Cross Country Champion in 1976, then a World Cross Country Champion in 1978 and 1979. He competed for Ireland in the 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992 Olympics, winning a silver medal in the marathon in ’84.

When John Thompson ’64 graduated from Providence, he was drafted to the Boston Celtics that same year. Named the New England Player of the Year and an All-American in ’64, he averaged 19.2 ppg and 13.4 rpg. He won seven Coach of the Year Awards after coaching the Georgetown Hoyas from 1972–1999. Under Thompson, the Hoyas made 24 consecutive NCAA appearances and won one National Championship.

Interview with Curtis LeGeyt

by Shannon Kelly ’26 on November 13, 2025

News

On Mon. Nov. 3, I interviewed Providence College alumnus Curtis LeGeyt ’00, alongside Karly Ward ’27, the general manager of WDOM. LeGeyt studied quantitative economics here at PC and currently serves as the President and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters. This work supports local levels of broadcasting, the networks that they affiliate with, as well as commercial radio stations.

The first question he was asked surrounded his interest in PC and why he ultimately chose to attend this institution to pursue undergraduate studies. LeGeyt explained that he “was engaged in all things PC,” including being president of the student government his senior year and being very involved in athletics on campus. He also spoke about the time he spent in the WDOM office, stating that the station was “a little bit of an epicenter of student life here when you came into Slavin.” He talked about the importance of academics on campus, which he believes has remained the same since his time at PC, and mentioned the importance of the larger student experience here, which stems from being involved. LeGeyt contrasted the sense of community that many have here with his experience at Cornell Law School, where he described a relative lack of camaraderie.

He also talked about the bonds that have endured since graduating from PC and emphasized how special PC is for being able to create that sense of community for so many of their students. When asked about the ways in which PC prepared him for his chosen career path, LeGeyt explained that the prioritization of the liberal arts allowed him to learn how to be a critical thinker, which he finds to be pertinent to this current moment in our society that is often tumultuous. He explained that his role at the National Association of Broadcasters allows him to represent media companies in both television and radio spaces, while connecting this to questions regarding the role of new technology, the role of companies to inform the public with trusted information, and how community can be fostered through the exploration of knowledge. He pinpoints PC as the place that “really led to that questioning,” explaining that “we’re not just here to learn how to do a rote skill, we’re here to really ask questions about a stated set of facts.”

LeGeyt also reflected on the technological disruption that has come to define our generation while contrasting this with his own experience as an undergraduate student here, when “there was barely an internet.” He further explained that there was no social media, no iPhone, and “definitely no TikTok.” He also stated that he believes the veracity of institutional news sources was taken for granted in a way that the internet has now democratized. LeGeyt also spoke to the core curriculum here at PC, which he said “is not everyone’s cup of tea,” though it is “increasingly valuable with the age of technology and how everything is evolving as we experience it.” He said that there are two elements to the core curriculum that really distinguish PC from other schools. First, it establishes a commonality of experience across the student body through the Development of Western Civilization curriculum. Secondly, he said, despite everyone having a specific academic track, there is an emphasis on thinking about the world beyond our given moment, pondering what came before us, and how it shapes our ways of thinking about the problems we face today.

When asked about the principles that he learned during his time at PC that guide his work, LeGeyt emphasized the importance of community. He said that many come to PC without realizing that service is a focal point of one’s experience here, especially in regard to community. We also must understand the importance of immersion in the community and giving back to something that is larger than ourselves. This has also had an effect on the way that LeGeyt carries himself, as he constantly thinks about what he is giving back to the larger community. No matter if he is at work, at home, or in the community that he lives in, he prioritizes paying it forward.

In terms of the challenges that those in the broadcasting sphere are currently facing, LeGeyt expressed a strong desire to utilize local journalism and local connections to reach the audiences where they are. Local newspapers do not have the effect that they once did, and he emphasized the need for there to be trusted voices in local communities. Instead of prioritizing algorithms and division, LeGeyt mentioned the need for fact-based information, bringing folks together, and creating a sense of community. He said that more practically, his job focuses on collective industry advocacy, both on Capitol Hill and in the courts for policies, as well as regulations that best enable us to serve local communities. He also didn’t shy away from talking about the ways that in the advertising marketplace, local media has now shifted to being digital. He believes that we must ensure that there is money to reinvest in local journalism at local stations.

When asked about the impact of AI on the industry, LeGeyt mentioned the systemic mistrust that exists in the media right now and the amount of misinformation that is in our ecosystem. He said that we must allow humans to do the work that only humans can do. When LeGeyt was asked about the social responsibility of broadcasters, he said that it is necessary to be aware of the fact that they operate under a public interest standard, while recognizing that local broadcasters are the last bastion of trusted journalism at this current moment.

Throughout the interview, LeGeyt emphasized the importance of broadcast being the most democratized medium. He recognized the role that broadcast plays in underrepresented communities and the civic element that is deeply entrenched within this, as communities that are disproportionately affected by disinformation online are also considered. The advice he offered to people with similar interests was to “grind for a little bit and show that you’re willing to be a doer.” Critical thinking, willingness to participate, and social engagement stood out as key tenets necessary in the workplace. LeGeyt encourages us all to ask questions that we will never have the answer to, to tune in to your local stations, and to invest in relationships with others.